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A sweeping success in value-added food processing 

A look at the people behind Saskatchewan's most successful businesses.

Depending upon what setting you'll find the husband and wife team of Rodney and Colleen Parenteau, proprietors of Parenteau's Gourmet Foods, in, a great deal can change in terms of who's calling the shots. As value-added food processors at their Langham-area farm, where saskatoon berry jams, chocolates and alcohol-free champagne are among the specialties, it's conceded that Rodney is the go-to guy. But when you catch the Parenteaus at the local curling rink, it's a foregone conclusion that Colleen is the one calling the shots -- literally.

A competitive curler with a considerably more extensive background in the game than her husband, Colleen is the lord of the rings in the Parenteau household. "I like to curl competitive," says the longtime skip. "We curl to have fun too, but we curl to win."

Being that Rodney is making up for some lost time, albeit quite admirably, Colleen considers her weekly Monday ladies' matches in the Langham Curling Club Ladies' League as more of her competitive side than the Tuesday Open League when she curls with Rodney throwing lead stones.

"I'm a newcomer," jokes Rodney. "So "I'm allowed to make some mistakes."

"That's about the only time he'll listen to me," Colleen says with a laugh.

"I call it abusive," Rodney says without skipping a beat. "She'll yell at me right in front of everybody, right? We always laugh about that."

After allowing himself to be consumed by the family business, Rodney took the advice of Colleen and decided to take an interest in curling. He has taken to it quite naturally, picking up Colleen's apparent love for the game. Now, not only does he find time to curl himself, but he also enjoys watching Colleen and her team compete whenever he can.

"I'm a fan," Rodney explains, before clarifying that he takes a more instructive role with his wife's foursome. "They call me coach. I find their mistakes and then I pick them apart."

"Oh yeah," Colleen banters back, taking Rodney's criticism in stride. "The best curlers are always behind the glass. Because believe me, you'll hear it when you come off the ice."

Aside from playing the game, the Parenteaus also will take in top-notch competition when given the opportunity. "When it comes here, I like to go," says Colleen of the Brier, adding that they've also been to the Scott Tournament of Hearts and the Skins Game. "I enjoy watching it on TV so you can see the replays and stuff like that, but a lot of these places have big screens anyway, so you can see all the shots. But just being there and being a part of it all, that's what I enjoy."

It's apparent that the self-made entrepreneurs enjoy their other "pastime," Parenteau's Gourmet Foods, which could easily preoccupy their time 24-7 if they were to allow it to. The couple began the company 14 years ago when the term "value-added" was a term hardly even defined, never mind being the buzzword as it is for contemporary Saskatchewan farmers.

Earning their stripes for the first five or six years, today the business is reaping the benefits of those self-taught business lessons. Parenteau's products are now available across Western Canada at a variety of locations, most notably at The Bay locations throughout the West.

Having bought a farm with 60 saskatoon bushes on it, the couple were simply looking for a way to ensure that the bountiful berries did not go to waste. A mason by trade, Rodney was accustomed to hard work. Colleen meanwhile saw hard work as a way of life, watching her father alternate between his full-time job with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and the family farm back at Birch Hills, where she often helped out.

So when extra work was required to find a solution for the opportunity the abundant saskatoons were presenting, not a second thought went in to whether or not the pair should pursue this opportunity. They dove in without looking back, despite not fully understanding what it was they were getting themselves into.

"We were both working during the day and we would come home late at night, and we'd be out there (in the orchard) in the night," recalls Colleen. "We'd have the lights on the truck on just so we could see. And we didn't think anything of it."

Appreciating the fact that they have virtually been self-taught and have learned through their mistakes and triumphs, in hindsight, Rodney concedes that he would have appreciated having some sort of mentor to follow. Horticulture aside, Rodney admits they could have used some guidance in various aspects of running a business.

"It would have been nice if our parents had some business background," Rodney says. "Or some mentor to kind of walk us through some steps. Because a lot of business people will follow the footsteps of their parents', or some kind of business degree from university or business experience. In our case, we lacked that part."

Chalk it up as another learning experience, because the Parenteaus are ensuring that their children Mandy, 14, and Randall, 10, are learning the ins and outs of business firsthand. "We do a lot of craft shows and trade shows, and they come with us," Rodney says. "When you watch them, it's easy to tell that they are watching us, because they say the same things we say to our clients."

"We teach them how to work with the public, to have good manners, and good etiquette. It's very important and they learn how to be responsible."

Just like Mom and Dad, the kids are also involved in every step of the operation; right from tending to the orchard, through to harvest, and then with all aspects of the value-added production. "It's amazing how much they can do, really," Rodney marvels. "For a lot of the jobs, they can do as much (production) as what I can do. Because there's not that much physical labor, it's just a matter of having enough hands to do the job."

Comprising a built-in foursome amongst themselves, perhaps one day the Parenteaus will take to the ice as a mixed rink to contend with. Hopefully for Mandy and Randall, however, Mom and Dad will agree on the shot selection, or it could turn out to be a confusing situation for everyone.